


Nyctophobia

by CaroLeitze



Series: Autophobia [2]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24762739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaroLeitze/pseuds/CaroLeitze
Summary: Without her father, without his guidance, without his secrets, she’s lost.Charlie clearly remembers her father’s disjointed last words: Burn them. Free them. As she and Michael scramble to piece together his carefully laid out plan, a new series of murders rocks Hurricane- and this time they’re at Junior’s Pizzeria. Charlie reluctantly calls on her friends and Vanessa to further unravel the secrets of Freddy’s, but she soon realizes that they’re not just revealing secrets, they’re playing a dangerous game- a game with deadly repercussions.
Relationships: Michael Afton & Charlotte "Charlie" Emily
Series: Autophobia [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793176
Comments: 5
Kudos: 72





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to "Autophobia"! If you haven't read it and the explanation of my AU, this story won't make sense.

**_Nyctophobia (_ ** **_nyc·to·pho·bia)_ ** **_: Noun._ **

**_An extreme or irrational fear of the night or of darkness._ **

* * *

_Burn them. Free them._ Charlie laid in her illuminated bedroom, watching the short winter days turn into long winter nights. She’d get out of bed every once in a while with the express purpose of making sure every light in the house was on. Aunt Jen had given up on turning them off, even when Charlie was sleeping. She had an intuition- if a light was turned off, she felt it. Even one square foot of darkness meant certain death. Besides checking the lights, Charlie only got up to eat (the bare minimum required to keep Aunt Jen off her back); shower; use the bathroom; and stare mindlessly at the TV. 

Michael was her constant companion- he laid with her for hours at a time, watched TV with her, even helped her with her mission to keep the lights on, but they barely spoke a word to each other. One night, he told her he loved her. She hadn’t responded- something about that, the prospect of love, a relationship, seemed very wrong. She couldn’t deny that she’d fallen for him, but she couldn’t bring herself to truly justify her breakup with John. She’d been nothing but impulsive the past few months, and she was starting to chalk it up to that impulsivity. 

Still, she allowed Michael to hold her, to kiss her, to stroke her hair. She needed the affection in order to feel… something. She couldn’t cry for her father anymore- his funeral was set for the 9th of January and she was certain that she still wouldn’t be able to cry. Her friends had come over once or twice to watch funny movies and play games, but her laughter was hollow. She sat on the edge of her bed one winter night, watching the snow fall outside her window. 

She didn’t even glance behind her when Michael entered the room, instead focusing on the tizzy of snowflakes in front of her. He sat down next to her, carefully balancing a small tray that contained two mugs of hot chocolate.

“Merry Christmas.” He said softly, setting the tray down on the bedside table. Charlie gave him a half-hearted smile but said nothing. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d spoken to him. His blue eyes ventured to the window and he sighed deeply. 

“I… um, I got you something.” 

She raised an eyebrow. 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing crazy.” He cleared his throat and stood back up. “Be right back. Your mug has more marshmallows in it. Help yourself.” 

Charlie just stared at the bedroom door until he returned, bearing a rectangular package adorned with silver wrapping paper. The words “Happy Birthday!” were printed on it. 

“This was the only wrapping paper your aunt could find.” He said apologetically, placing the rectangle in her lap. 

“You... really didn’t have to do this.” She stammered. 

“I know. I just… I think this will help you. I hope.” Michael picked Theodore up and played with one of the wires protruding from his ears.

“Help me?”

Her companion let out another sigh but said nothing. She raised an eyebrow again and began to strip off the wrapping paper. She stared blankly at the teal book that was revealed shortly thereafter. It was held shut by a gold lock, which could presumably be opened using the small, oval shaped gold key that was taped to the cover of the book. 

“Is this a… journal?” 

Michael continued to play with Theodore’s wire. 

“...Yeah. I just thought… you know, I keep one and it’s really helped me. I’d go through several of them within a few months at the hospital. The doctors were always reading them, though. Never saw them again once I’d filled them out completely.” 

Charlie hadn’t kept a journal since the third grade, and she sure wasn’t good at writing daily entries. Still, her smile was genuine. It was a truly thoughtful gesture on his part. 

“Thanks.” She peeled the tape off of the key and tried the lock- it was a bit sticky but it opened. “I- I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you. I didn’t even get anything for Aunt Jen… or dad.” 

Michael put a hand on her knee and squeezed it gently. 

“It’s okay, love.” 

_Love._ On the surface it was just some Britishism, but Charlie knew he intended it to mean more. She swallowed hard and looked away. 

“You okay?” 

Her neck hurt as she nodded. 

“Charlotte…” He said gently, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. She flinched and he immediately retracted his hand. 

“I..I.. I think… I want to write right now, actually. Alone.” 

Michael looked stung but nodded. 

“Alright. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” He stood up and slowly walked out the door, gazing at her the whole time. She rummaged through her bedside table drawer once he was gone, looking for a pen. She found a capless blue one and immediately applied it to the first empty page of the journal. The pen was dry and the words she wrote came out patchy. 

_Burn them. Free them._ She drew patchy little flames by her father’s last words. Seeing them on paper caused tears to well up in her eyes for the first time in weeks. He had died in vain with the past- _his past-_ haunting him. Charlie was determined to set things right, but she was weak. So weak that just the prospect of piecing together her father’s plan made her eyes water even more. But she had to fight- she had to fight her weakness. She had to fight her fear of the darkness. She slammed the journal shut and looked at its key uncertainly- where was she going to keep it? 

She rummaged through the bedside table again and found a gold chain that had previously had a small, heart shaped pendant on it. It had been a gift from Aunt Jen, but Charlie barely wore jewelry. The key glided down the chain effortlessly. She fumbled with the chain’s clasp for a few minutes, muttering and cursing under her breath. Once it was secure, she dropped her tired arms with a sigh and continued to stare out the window. The snow was tapering off, but the forecast called for another two inches before morning. 

She laid back down on the bed, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. Many of them didn’t glow anymore, even with the lights off. Not that she’d turn the lights off anytime soon. The lights kept the darkness, and the nightmare apparitions she’d become all too familiar with, away. She was safe. That was what she told herself, over and over again. But she wasn’t. William was still out there, and he’d get to her with or without light surrounding her. 


	2. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I've decided to leave "Autophobia" and my AU as they are for now. There may still be updates/edits in the future, but for now I'm going to move forward with Nyctophobia. Welcome back to the series! :) 
> 
> PS: This is Chapter 1 even though it says it's Chapter 3. Bear with me here, there's no way to change it that I know of.

Charlie exhaled sharply as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Her father’s funeral reception was winding down and she’d had enough. She’d had enough sympathy and enough hugs. She’d had enough of Michael and John staring each other down. She’d made it very clear that no one was to follow her upstairs. The house felt colder than ever before, and it wasn’t because it was the dead of Winter. Charlie hugged herself as she sat down on her bed, allowing a few tears to fall. She had to force them- it was wrong not to cry. That was what she told herself over and over again. 

Her father was dead, slayed by a nightmare apparition. Of course, only she and Michael knew that. Everyone else was under the impression that it was a freak murder. Charlie had come down the stairs to see a shadow of a man running out the door, having stabbed her father. That shadow of a man was William Afton. There was a knock on the door. 

“No.” She called, laying down on the bed and putting a pillow over her face. She didn’t care that she was ruining the makeup Jessica had caked on her face, which she’d only agreed to wear because her face was ruddy and her eyes were puffy. 

“It’s me, honey.” Aunt Jen said as though it made a difference.

“No!” She repeated. “Go away!” 

“Charlie, it’s important.” 

“I said  _ NO _ !” Charlie chucked her foundation-stained pillow at the door and let out a genuine sob. 

“It’s about your father’s will.” 

Her mouth gaped and she stared at the ceiling. A will? Wills were for old people on the verge of death. Her father wasn’t that old (he was 52). She felt her heart sink- he’d probably known that William-or something else- would catch up to him. 

“...It’s unlocked.” 

Aunt Jen entered with a large manila envelope. She looked as exhausted as Charlie felt, her normally vibrant smile weak. Charlie sat up on the bed. 

“Dad has a will?” 

“Yes. We wrote ours together, actually, with the same attorney.” Jen joined her on the bed. “I think you’ll like what it says, but…” 

“...But what?” 

Her aunt chewed on her lower lip and undid the clasp of the envelope with a shaking hand. 

“It’s… a lot. For you. You’re 19.” 

Charlie looked at her aunt quizzically. 

“I’ll spare you all the legal jargon. He left Junior’s to you.” 

“What?” This shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. On so many levels. For one, running Junior’s wasn’t cheap- she’d seen the electric bills and the employee payroll. Then there were all the stocks. “I… we can’t afford to-” She choked. 

“He also left his business accounts, and a good chunk of his personal account, to you. But that money by itself will only keep things running for six months at most. Which is why… I don’t think you should take it on. We can sell it for good money and-” 

“No!” Charlie yelled, startling both of them. “We can’t. I can make it work. I  _ have  _ to.”

“Honey, you really don’t have to.” 

“No, you don’t understand. He.. had a plan for…” 

“A plan? A plan for what?” 

She’d said too much. 

“Plans for the restaurant that I could implement.” She said quickly, “Menu changes, new games, stuff like that.” 

Her aunt was clearly unconvinced. 

“Let me run it. If I can’t do it for three months, then… then I’ll sell it.” Charlie stammered.

“If you’re sure that’s what you want-” 

“You’ll help me, right? He’d want us to run it together.” 

“Oh Charlie, I don’t know. The only thing I’ve had to do with that place is cosigning a loan. I don’t know the first thing about running it.” 

“I’ll teach you. Please?” Charlie hugged her aunt, who sighed deeply. 

“Okay. Three months. We’ll try it.” Jen returned the embrace. Charlie felt sparks of determination and excitement- they broke through the sadness and fear that prevailed in her mind. 

“Is everyone still downstairs? My friends, I mean?” She wiped her eyes as she pulled away. 

“They should be.” 

“Can you get them for me? Michael too? I… I don’t want to see anyone else downstairs.” 

“You got it.” Aunt Jen’s smile appeared vibrant again. Charlie picked up Theodore once she’d left and squeezed him tightly. 

“I -ov- ou- Cha-ie.” The rabbit rasped. 

“I won’t let you down.” She whispered. Her friends entered the room a second later, their solemn expressions turning to smiling ones upon seeing her own small smile. 

“Guess what?” She blurted. Her joy was mixing with her sadness in a way that made her feel delirious. John and Michael sat on either side of her, side eyeing each other as they did so. Charlie felt pangs of both annoyance and heartbreak but pushed them to the back of her mind. 

“What?” Jessica sat down on the floor, smoothing out her skirt as she did so. 

“My dad… he gave me Junior’s.” Charlie choked, her sadness threatening to take hold of her again. 

“Really?” Jessica’s eyes went wide. “All of it?” 

“Yeah. The animatronics, the employees, the building… I mean, Aunt Jen is going to help me run it, but it’s basically all mine.” 

“Does that mean we can eat for free?” Carlton exclaimed, earning an elbow in the ribs from Marla. “Ow! I mean, that’s really cool.” 

“That’s great, Charlotte.” Michael grinned and squeezed her hand. She smiled at him for the first time in weeks. 

“If there’s anything we can do to help out, let us know.” John took her other hand and Lamar exchanged glances with Marla and Jessica. Charlie cleared her throat and freed both of her hands. 

“I  _ am  _ going to need extra help, except when it comes to the upkeep of the animatronics. I’m doing that by myself.” 

“Really? I thought your dad never trained you on that stuff.” Marla raised an eyebrow. 

“He didn’t, but I know enough about them logistically. I can get rid of Vanessa, no problem.” 

“Vanessa? Who’s that?” Lamar inquired. 

“She’s that girl with weird hair who ran up and hugged me at Blockbuster the other day.” Charlie rolled her eyes. “My dad hired her to be a technician, but I really don’t need her.” 

“ _ You’re  _ going to fire someone? I don’t know, Charlie, you had a hard time turning Tommy Summers down for prom back in high school.” Jessica giggled. 

“So?” 

“What I’m saying is you’re not good at confrontation.” 

Her friend had a point- she tended to cower when confronted with upset customers or staff. Her father always dealt with them. 

“Well, firing Vanessa will help me with that. It’s my restaurant now and whatever I say goes.”

“That’s the spirit.” Marla grinned. “You just march in there and own the place, literally.” 

“I’m going in tomorrow.” Charlie said decisively, even though she knew she’d probably burst into tears the second she walked through those sliding glass doors. She couldn’t avoid it forever. 

“Tomorrow? Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, so I can call everyone and tell them we’re opening again this weekend.” 

“Charlotte, are you sure? You shouldn’t rush into it and overwhelm yourself.” Michael said, his blue eyes reflecting deep concern. 

“We’ve been closed for a month at this point. If I want to make enough money to keep things running, we have to open as soon as possible.” Charlie said sternly. 

“We’ll help. Right, guys?” John glanced around at his friends, who all nodded. Another genuine smile stretched across Charlie’s face, but her mind was still shrouded in darkness that she knew wouldn’t go away for a very long time. 


	3. The Protector

_ So far, so good.  _ Charlie exhaled as she scoped the restaurant from her spot by the main stage. In that moment, it felt as though nothing had changed. She was simply keeping an eye on things while her father took care of inventory in his office. He’d come out soon and ask her how things were going. 

“Hey.” John sidled up to her, plastic token cup in hand. 

“Hey.” Her voice was subdued; if she spoke any louder she was certain she would cry. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah.” She lied, putting a smile on to sell it. 

“No you’re not. I know that look.” John returned the smile despite its fake nature. 

“I feel like dad’s still here. That’s all.” Charlie looked down at the token cup. “Are you going to play some games?” 

“I’m collecting tokens that fell on the floor so we can put them back into circulation.” Her ex boyfriend explained, “I figured it might save you some money. Somehow.” 

“Probably.” Her eyes remained fixated on the cup. It was hard to look at him, much less talk to him. They were broken up. People who were broken up usually stayed away from each other, at least for a while. But their situation was different. She needed him as an ally, no matter how painful it was to be around him right now. He cleared his throat.

“Did you want to eat soon? It’s almost noon.” 

“Yeah, sure.” Charlie tore her eyes away from the token cup at last, but they didn’t venture to him. They ventured to Mr. Hippo’s stage. “...But there’s something I have to do first.” 

“Okay. I’ll put in an order. Pepperoni and sausage, right? And extra breadsticks?” 

“Yeah.” She said absentmindedly. She was already thinking about what fixing Mr. Hippo might entail. They parted ways, him going to the kitchen and her heading to the back room. She exhaled as she entered and switched on the light. The sounds of the pizzeria were muffled and she was able to relax. Besides the office, the back room had always been a sanctuary for her and her father when things got stressful. She meandered to her father’s toolbox and then ran her hand over the smooth metal lid, pondering her intentions. Touching his tools, and the animatronics, seemed wrong. After all, he’d always forbidden it. 

But it was her restaurant now, the animatronics were hers. She could do whatever she wanted. She lifted the heavy lid and scanned the screwdrivers, trying to remember which one her father used to tune the robots. It was possible Mr. Hippo just needed a tune up. After selecting what she was pretty sure was the right one, she turned on her heels, only to collide with Vanessa. She let out a surprised yelp and dropped the tool. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” Vanessa threw her arms up. 

“When did- when did  _ you  _ get here?!” Charlie couldn’t hide her exasperation. 

“Just a second ago. John said you were in here. I wanted to talk to you.” Vanessa’s tone was annoyingly chipper. 

“I actually… I need to talk to you, too.” Charlie muttered, momentarily distracted by the rainbow streaks in the girl’s hair. 

“Can I go first?”

“Um-”

“I just wanted to say that I can crosstrain. If you want me to wait tables or something, I’ll do it. I really, really want to help out around here, especially since… you’re alone now.” Vanessa spoke at a million miles per hour. 

“What?” 

“Sorry. I worded that all wrong. When I get excited, I just blurt things out. What I mean is, I want to help you in any way I can. I know things have probably been hard for you, especially running the restaurant without your dad.” 

“Look, Vanessa, I appreciate that.” Charlie sighed and looked away. “But, it’s just… we have enough waitresses.” 

“Oh. Can I run the prize counter then? The guy over there right now isn’t very enthusiastic. You should talk to him.” 

“Vanessa, look, you’re a good worker. But…” Charlie trailed off. Jessica was right- she just didn’t have the nerve to fire anyone. “...Yeah. Yeah, you can work the prize counter. I’ll see if Dave wants to go home.” 

“Right now? Are you sure? You don’t need me to look at any of the animatronics?” 

“No! I mean, no, I already looked at them and they’re fine. Here, let’s walk to the prize counter together.” Charlie said urgently. 

“Are you okay?” Vanessa frowned. 

“Yeah. Fine. Come on.” Charlie gestured for the employee to follow her. 

“You have 25 tickets left… you can either have the Happy Frog keychain or the Mr. Hippo bouncy ball.” Dave was speaking monotonously to a small child when the girls arrived at the prize counter. 

“Is Mr. Hippo all better yet?” The boy asked, pointing to the bouncy ball. 

“Notchyet. Check back next week.” Dave handed him the toy.

“That’s what you said  _ last  _ week.” He sulked away. 

“Hey, Dave. How would you like to go home early?” Charlie inquired, watching the retreating child warily.

“Would I!” The middle-aged man exclaimed, his tired blue eyes lighting up. 

“Vanessa can take over for you. Go ahead.” 

“Yes ma’am. Could you clock me out? I’ve gotta catch the bus in two minutes here, otherwise I’ll have to wait another hour.” 

“Okay… it’s Miller, right? I’ll put in your punch.” Charlie smiled at the longtime employee. 

“Yup. See ya!” The man dashed off and Vanessa took his place behind the counter. 

“Like I said, you should talk to him. You have to be enthusiastic with the kids, ya know?” The girl picked up a pod of Silly Putty. 

“He’s a good employee. I think he’s just upset about my dad… they were close.” Charlie said defensively. “Do you know how to use the ticket scale?” 

“I think so. It’s this button, right?” 

“Right. You’ve got it. Phone’s right there, page me if you need anything.” Charlie immediately retreated to the back hallway by the office, where the time clock was.  _ Dave Miller.  _ She found his card fairly quickly and punched him out. She wished  _ she  _ could go home- her eyes were heavy and her joints ached. But she had work to do. John waved at her as she walked through the dining room, and she held up a finger. She wanted to at least get started on Mr. Hippo before eating lunch. 

She entered the backroom and picked up the screwdriver she’d dropped earlier. On second thought, she also needed the big wrench. She walked to the nearby tool wall, only to trip over something. 

“OW!  _ Dammit!”  _ The offending object appeared to be a crowbar. Her previously injured leg smarted and she seethed through the pain. 

_ Whiiirrrrrr!  _ Something mechanical moved nearby. She was certain she’d imagined it until she heard it again.  _ Whiiirrrr, click! Whiiirrr, clunk. Whiirrrr, clunk.  _ She grabbed the edge of the nearby work table and hoisted herself up. When she turned her head, her breath hitched in her throat. She’d locked eyes with an animatronic. It was a black bear with a toylike appearance, similar to the animatronics at Freddy and Friends’. It wore a red hat and matching bowtie that complemented its exaggerated red cheeks. There was a large yellow star on its chest, giving it a festive appearance. She stared into its one eye- the other one was either missing or blacked out. She gasped- it was the animatronic she’d seen in the doorway the night she was attacked. 

“Who are you?” She whispered, tentatively walking around the work table. The bear followed her every move until they were face to face. She stopped just a few inches away from it, staring at its gaping maw. It lurched forward suddenly and she jumped back as its chest cavity swung open. She heard soft chiming- chiming that was quite familiar.  _ The music box.  _ It was playing the same song.  _ Sammy.  _ Was this bear somehow an homage to her deceased brother? It was aesthetically similar in appearance to the puppet at Freddy and Friends’. She gingerly closed the bear’s chest cavity, letting out a shuddering breath. 

“Shhhh….” The bear hissed softly. It was reaching for her but she didn’t move away. She only flinched when its cold plastic paw touched her face. 

“Who  _ are _ you?” She repeated, genuinely expecting an answer. Of course, the bear said nothing; it simply lowered its paw and then its head. Its one good eye remained half open despite this, and Charlie continued to stare at it.

“Charlie?” John poked his head into the room. “...What’s that?” 

“I don’t know.” She choked, touching the star on the bear’s chest. John walked over and tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve seen it before, but…” 

“Maybe your dad was starting work on a new series of animatronics.” 

“But why? He was so happy with the Mediocre Melodies. I don’t think he would replace them.” She was playing dumb. The bear clearly served a special purpose- it was no coincidence that it had come to her twice when she was in distress. It was just another one of her father’s secrets that she had to decipher. “...Where’s Michael?” 

“Michael? I don’t know. He was cleaning tables for a while, but I think he might’ve left to get some food. He said that he was a little tired of pizza.” John’s voice was cold. 

“Understandable.” Even though she’d known John much longer than she did Michael, Michael was the one she needed to talk to about her potential “the bear is connected to Sammy” theory. She hadn’t told her friends and John about her father’s alleged master plan quite yet. She and Michael had a deeper connection to Freddy’s… and to each other. 

“Come on, let’s eat.” Charlie took John’s hand before she could stop herself- it was a reflex. She dropped it immediately, but he raised an eyebrow. 

“Okay, Chica.” 

“Stop.” She giggled, grateful for the joke shattering the awkward moment. They made their way back onto the floor, where a large birthday party had arrived. Charlie felt a pang of nervousness, but her staff was on top of it. The place ran itself most of the time, as long as she did all the necessary background tasks. John led her to a table in front of the stage, where their pizza and breadsticks awaited consumption. 

“So, I wanted to ask you something.” 

Charlie’s blood instantly ran cold. 

“Why don’t you like Vanessa? Did she do something to you?” 

She relaxed, having been certain that he was going to ask about where she and Michael stood, but this question wasn’t much better. She didn’t really have a valid reason to dislike Vanessa- she worked hard and knew her way around the toolbox. 

“I mean, I guess I’m still upset that my dad hired her to be a technician rather than training me. And she’s just a little… um…” 

“Hyper?” John broke a breadstick in half and dipped it into some marinara sauce. 

“Yeah… hyper.” Charlie glanced over at the prize counter, where Vanessa was happily chatting with a parent. “But she’s a good worker. It doesn’t really make sense to fire her. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” 

“She and Jessica get along pretty well.” 

“No surprises there.” Charlie smirked. They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating pizza and occasionally glancing up at the stage. 

“It’s almost time to let the robots walk around. Last time they did was about a month ago.” Charlie commented, speaking mostly to herself. 

“Today?” 

“Tonight when everyone leaves. I’ll trigger their roaming switches and let them wander for about ten minutes. After ten minutes they’ll automatically go back to the stage.” 

“That’s cool. They have to walk around so their servos don’t lock up, right?” 

“Right. But unlike the Freddy’s models, they don’t need to wander every night.”

“Remember in high school, when everyone made up scary stories about Freddy Fazbear’s?” 

Charlie gave him a look. 

“Well, I mean,  _ now  _ we know that there’s some truth to them.” John cringed. 

There was a beat of silence. 

“I should go back to Freddy Fazbear’s… and maybe Freddy and Friends’.” Charlie took a small bite of pizza. 

“Why?” 

“Because… there’s something I need to do.”  _ Burn them. Free them.  _ The gravity of her father’s words bore down on her forcefully. 

“What?” 

“Hey, Charlotte.” 

Charlie jumped- Michael was suddenly beside her. 

“There you are.” She smiled after a moment. “Get some lunch?” 

“Yeah. Just walked down to the gas station to get a hotdog. I also got you this.” He set a pack of M&Ms in front of her. 

“Aww, thank you.” 

John picked up a piece of crust and examined it, twisting his mouth. He was clearly annoyed by Michael’s gesture.  _ Here we go again.  _ Charlie thought. 

“Anyway, did you want me to keep cleaning tables or should I do something else?” 

“Yeah, that works. Thank you.”

“Alright. I’ll let you eat.” Michael picked up a rag that was sitting on a nearby table. 

“Oh, Michael?” 

“Yeah?” 

“We’ll have to stay a little later tonight. The robots need to walk around.” 

“Right. No problem.” Michael gave her a thumbs up. 

“Do you need me to stay, too?” John inquired. 

“No. I mean, you  _ can _ if you want to. But you don’t have to.” Charlie hoped that he wouldn’t- she needed to talk to Michael alone. 

“I’ll just go home at 8. I’m pretty tired.” John’s voice was cold again. “...Are you done eating? I’m going to get a couple of boxes for the leftovers.” 

“Umm.. yeah.” His tone stung her and she buried her face in her hands as he stalked to the kitchen. 

* * *

“Have a good night!” Charlie called to the last guest before locking the sliding glass doors from the inside. Michael gave her a small smile as she made her way to the main stage. 

“Right. It’ll be interesting to see how non-murderous animatronics meander about.” He commented. She just smiled and flipped Orville’s roaming switch. The elephant looked at her before carefully stepping off the stage. 

“He’s the fastest, right?” Michael asked. 

“Yup. Okay, Ned Bear, your turn.” Charlie gave the goofy-looking bear an affectionate pat on the shoulder as he wandered off. She went to Happy Frog next, and then Pigpatch. Both of them glanced at her and Michael before wandering off. Charlie joined Michael at the small table he was sitting at, her smile tired but genuine. Running the restaurant had actually helped her depression a great deal. Her happiness faded, however, as she thought of the mysterious bear in the back room. 

“What about Mr. Hippo?” Michael glanced at the drawn curtains on the other side of the room. 

“He’s still broken. I tried to tune him up this afternoon, but he became unresponsive.” She said mournfully. “If I can’t fix him, I may have to see what Vanessa thinks.” As much as she hated the idea of asking Vanessa for help, she didn’t have any other options. “Anyway… I needed to tell you… we have to go to Freddy Fazbear’s.” 

Michael nodded. 

“I’ve been thinking the same thing.” 

“The blueprints in my father’s workshop are gone, but there are more. I distinctly remember seeing them. There’s a huge filing cabinet in the office at Freddy Fazbear’s. There’s also going to be old paperwork we can use to piece together his plan.”

“Are you sure?” 

“I’m certain. I’m also certain that your dad and sister know about it, so we have to act fast.” 

“So… what do you propose?”

“I have the morning off tomorrow. Aunt Jen wants to open this place by herself, to get a feel for it. We go to Freddy Fazbear’s, open the cabinet, and grab what we need.” 

“Keys? Security?” 

“My dad had copies of the keys from all of his old restaurants. I never understood why until now. Plus, the manager knows me. I’ll just explain that my father died and I’m gathering some of his old stuff.” 

“You’re sure that’ll work?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, it’ll work.” She projected confidence, but she had no way of knowing if her plan would actually work. “But for tonight… there’s something I need to show you. Follow me.” 

She led her acquaintance to the backroom. 

“My dad built something. I think that, whatever this thing is, it’s part of his plan.” She flipped the lightswitch. 

“What thing?” Michael raised an eyebrow. 

The bear was gone. 


	4. The Glitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the time of updating this story, the new "Security Breach" trailer has dropped and I'm 100 percent freaking out. Just wanted to put that out there.

“It was right over there. I fell and it came over to me.” Charlie stammered, “It was a black bear with a red tophat. It played music.” 

Michael looked at her skeptically. 

“Look, it’s hard to explain, but I think my dad designed it to supplement the puppet somehow. The music it played was the same.” 

“I believe you, but without seeing it… I have no idea what it could be.” Michael bit his lower lip. 

“We have to find it. I don’t know what it’s supposed to do, but your dad  _ cannot _ get his hands on it. It could be vital to the plan.” 

“Okay, okay. It couldn’t have gotten far. I don’t think animatronics can walk on snow and ice.” Michael’s voice was calm but he looked uncertain. 

Charlie nodded. 

“You watch the robots up front. I’m going to see if it’s outside.” 

“Be careful!” He called after her. The snow was falling down in droves once again, and Charlie squinted as she carefully stepped onto the slippery pavement of the alley. The bear was nowhere in sight. She sighed in defeat and walked back inside, hugging herself. Nedd Bear, Orville, and Pigpatch were back onstage when she entered the dining room, and Michael was watching Happy Frog meander about. 

“Any luck?” 

“No. It could be  _ anywhere _ by now. Who knows when it left?” Charlie sat down and buried her face in her hands. 

“I still don’t think it could’ve gotten far. It’s snowing, right? The water will fry its circuits.” Michael said matter of factly. 

“Right.” She muttered. “With my luck it’s probably sitting in the middle of the street.” Silence settled over them, save for the whirring and clicking of Happy Frog’s joints. 

“...Charlotte?” Michael whispered suddenly, gently nudging her in the ribs. She looked up to see him staring at Mr. Hippo’s Stage. Happy Frog had stopped directly in front of it, her head tilted to one side. 

“She’s stuck.” Charlie groaned, “Hold on.” She stood up and strolled over to the animatronic, who was completely still. However, when Charlie moved to flip the roaming switch, Happy Frog turned her head abruptly and nearly trapped her finger. 

“You and I don’t get to talk as often as I’d like!” The frog exclaimed. Charlie jumped back. 

“O-okay, she’s glitching.” 

“Is there a way to turn her off?” Michael came up beside her.

“Yeah, but I need a screwdriver. Keep an eye on her, I’ll be back.” 

“What? No! You can’t leave me alone!” 

“She’s not dangerous.” 

“How do you know my father hasn’t tampered with them?” 

“How could he? This place was closed for weeks and the security system was activated. Unless my dad gave someone else a key, nobody was in here.” 

“Fine, but I’m standing over here.” Michael took several big steps away from Happy Frog. Charlotte rolled her eyes and walked to the backroom, where her father’s toolbox was still open. She quickly found the screwdriver she was looking for and hurried back to the dining room, where Michael was still eyeing Happy Frog warily. Her head was frozen in place but her eyes followed Charlie’s every move. 

“Okay… first we have to get her back on the stage.” Charlie muttered. She reached for the roaming switch once again but Happy Frog swung her head to the other side and then back again. 

“Uh-uh!” She exclaimed. 

Charlie was flabbergasted. She reached for the switch yet again, slowly this time. 

“WAHZOOM!” Happy Frog hit her square in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. 

“Holy…!”

Michael rushed over and caught her before she hit the ground. 

“Maybe you should call Vanessa.” He said urgently, helping her into a nearby chair. She opened her mouth but closed it again. He was right- she had no idea what she was doing.

“Okay… okay.” She stood up, much to his dismay. 

“Charlotte-” 

“I’m fine. Get me over to the podium by the door.” She panted. Michael helped her cross the floor, albeit reluctantly. She worked hard to steady her breathing as she dialed Vanessa’s number and put the receiver to her ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, Vanessa, it’s Charlie.” 

“Oh hey, what’s up?” Vanessa’s voice was tired but somehow still peppy. 

“I, um, I need you to come back to work. Happy Frog’s acting weird.” 

There was a pause. 

“Weird how?”

“I let them walk around tonight, you know, because they have to walk around once a month to keep their servos from locking up. Happy Frog won’t go back on her stage.” 

“Did you trigger the roaming switch?” 

“See, that’s what’s weird. I tried to, but she… she wouldn’t let me.” 

“Wouldn’t let you?” 

“Look, it’s really hard to explain. Can you please just come over?” 

There was another pause. 

“Okay, sure. I’ll be there in fifteen.” 

“Great. Bye.” Charlie hung up the phone and fell against Michael, who wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“Are you alright?” 

“No.” She closed her eyes, allowing his gesture solely because she was tired. 

“Come on, then. Let’s go sit.” Michael coaxed her to sit down in another chair and the two stared at the snow falling outside of the sliding glass doors. 

“...Charlotte?” Michael inquired after several minutes of silence, leaning forward in his chair.

“Yeah?”

“That bear you were talking about… you’d never seen it before today?” 

“I did, actually, on the night your dad tried to murder me. It came to the back door. I think...I think it knew I was in trouble. I just don’t know where, or why, my dad kept it hidden until that night. When I went back to Junior’s a few weeks after the attack it wasn’t in the backroom. It’s just another one of his secrets.” She threw her hands up briefly before dropping them so they slapped her thighs. 

“And you think it’s connected to the puppet at Freddy and Friends’?” 

“Yes. It has to be. I just don’t see any other possibility.” 

There was a long beat of silence. 

“It’s connected to Sammy, then.” 

“Yeah.” Charlie stared straight ahead. 

“Given what we know about remnant and souls… do you think Cassidy ever possessed Fredbear?” 

She turned to face him, her mouth opening and closing.

“I mean, he didn’t die right away, at Fredbear’s.” Michael’s face contorted with pain. “He died at the hospital a week later.” 

Charlie didn’t have an answer for him, and that pained her. She stood up to comfort him without thinking about it, resting a hand on his shoulder. He put a hand on hers and they caught each other’s tired gazes. There was a sudden tapping on the door that made them both jump. Vanessa had arrived in her pink overcoat and matching yarn hat. Charlie sighed and opened the sliding doors for the employee, who immediately stomped her feet on the welcome mat to get the snow off her boots. 

“Sorry it took me so long. My car is  _ not  _ made for snow.” The girl was just as energetic as she’d been during the day. 

“That’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here so we can figure this out.” Charlie said flatly. Vanessa removed her coat and slung it over a chair before following Charlie to where Happy Frog stood. 

“Heyya, Happy Frog. Don’t feel like going home?” Vanessa spoke to the animatronic as if she were a child. The animatronic blinked but said nothing. “So you tried flipping the roaming switch, and it didn’t work?” 

“No. She turned her head so I couldn’t touch it.” 

Vanessa raised her hand and slowly reached for the switch. 

“Uh-oh!” Happy Frog said, swiveling her head around once again. 

“I see what you mean.” Vanessa put her forefinger and thumb underneath her chin. “Hmm. I think we may have to do a hard reset. Be right back.” She turned on her heels and briskly walked to the backroom. 

“A hard restart. Why didn’t I think of that?” Charlie muttered. 

“Do you know how to do that?” Michael asked, coming up beside her and studying the frog. 

“I think so. I watched my dad do it a few times. You just-”  _ Zaaappp!  _ Charlie stumbled forward, one hand on her forehead. She managed to catch herself with the other one, seething through the shock and slight pain. Michael was leaning against a table beside her, holding his forehead in a similar fashion. 

_ Whiirrr, click. Whiirrr, click.  _ Happy Frog was making her way back to the stage. Charlie fell onto her bottom, still holding her forehead. 

“Whoa, are you guys okay?!” Vanessa rushed over to the duo. 

“What did… what did you do?” Charlie panted, glaring at the other girl furiously. 

“I just reset froggy with the controlled shock device. Did she hit you or something?” 

“Yes.” Michael said before Charlie could answer. “She swung her arm around and hit Charlotte.” 

Vanessa looked at Charlie, then at Happy Frog. 

“That’s not good. Maybe I should shut her down and work on her.” 

Charlie was far too dazed to argue. All she could do was nod. 

“...Tomorrow. We should all get home.” Michael said decisively. 

“But I just got here.” Vanessa pouted. “Can you give me a key so I can stay and work on Happy? I promise to lock everything up when I’m done.” 

Charlie and Michael exchanged glances. 

“...Fine. Michael, there’s a spare set of keys in the office filing cabinet, top drawer.” Charlie sighed. He gave her a look but proceeded to the office. 

“Thanks, Charlie. I promise I’ll fix her.” 

“Can you look at Mr. Hippo, too? I tried to fix him earlier but he shut down completely.” 

Vanessa visibly tensed up. 

“...Yeah. Yeah, I can.” She said after a moment. 

Charlie was about to question the technician’s apprehension, but she decided that she didn’t care. Michael came back with the spare keys and handed them to Vanessa. 

“Are you okay to drive, Charlotte?” 

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She had a headache, but its intensity was fading with every passing minute. “Let’s go.” 

“Bye! See you tomorrow!” Vanessa waved at them as they grabbed their jackets and then headed into the blustery Utah Winter. Henry’s Stratus, which Aunt Jen had only recently gotten out of the impound lot, refused to start the first few times Charlie turned the ignition over, and its wheels spun on the ice. She felt immense relief when she finally made it out of the parking lot, not wanting to be stuck at Junior’s for even a moment longer. She had places to be. 

“So, that controlled shock thing-” Michael started, adjusting the heat dial. 

“It’s designed to reset the animatronics, but we felt it too.” 

“Well, we’re animatronics ourselves. At least partially.” 

“I  _ guess. _ There has to be more to it than that.” 

They were silent. 

“...We’re not going home, are we?” Michael noted a few minutes later as they drove past Charlie’s street. 

“Not yet. Look in the glove compartment.” 

Her companion looked at her quizzically. 

“Just do it.” 

The melodious sound of jingling keys filled the car. 

“Charlotte, you can’t be serious.” 

“When I said I wanted to go back to Freddy Fazbear’s, did you really think I’d go during the day? They don’t want me snooping around for those old files.” 

“I’ll say it again.  _ Guard? _ ” 

“There’s a job listing in the newspaper.” 

“So?” 

“So they’re between guards right now.” 

“They seriously just leave the place unguarded if they don’t have anyone? I find that hard to believe.” 

“Management really went downhill after my dad left.” 

“Um _ , animatronics? Possessed  _ animatronics? Do you not remember the Toy Bonnie incident?” 

“It’s not even close to midnight. They start roaming at midnight. Besides, there are these heavy metal security doors in the office. But we won’t need them. We’ll be in and out in ten minutes. I’m just grabbing the files from the filing cabinet.” 

“I’d say the shock device messed with your head tonight, but you’ve been planning this, haven’t you?” 

“Yup.” They pulled into the empty parking lot. “Great. All the staff are gone. Let’s go.” 

Michael looked warily at the digital clock in the car’s front console. 

“Midnight, right? Just like at Freddy and Friends’?” 

“Right.” Charlie shut the car off and took the fully loaded keyring from Michael. By the time she’d reached the front door and turned the key, her confidence and nerve had both faltered. But she needed what was in that filing cabinet.  _ Free them.  _


End file.
